Safety trigger guard on machine guns



A. H. G. FOKKER.

SAFETY TRIGGERGUARD 0N MACHINE GUNS.

APPLlcAnoN min SEPT. l. 1920.

1 ,426,850), Patented'Aug. 22, 1922.

N x x l l l I l 5v I e I'I TEIT-IT-ri lilrn SAFETY'TRIGGER GUARD ON` MACHINE GUNS,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Amig. 229 i922 Application va'led September v1, 1.920. SeralLNo. 407,538.

To all/whom t may concern.' l j n Be it known that I, ANTHONY 'HERMAN the Netherlands, residing at Amsterdam, Netherlands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Trigger Guards on Machine Guns (for which I have filed application in Germany, #308,598, filed May 19, 1918), of which the following is a speciication.

The type 0f machine gun in which the breech block, the movement of which places a cartridge in position and operates the iring pin, is given a reciprocating movement by mechanical means, such as a rotating crank, instead of being returned to the cocked position by the recoil of the explosion in the gun is well known. According t0 my copending application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 407,540, filed September' l, 1920, the breech block is locked in position by means of locking levers pivotally mounted upon the frame of the gun and actuated by the operating crank in such a manneras to engage with the breech block when the latter has reached its forward position in order to keep same in place While the shot is fired.

The object of the present invention is to provide a catch for pulling the trigger and tiring the gun which cannot reach the trigger until the locking levers are completely in place and lock the breech block. In addition the said catch is provided with a ne screw adjustment so as to enable accurate timing of the moment of firing in relation to the position. of the locking levers and it is further adapted to be swung outwards through a slot in the side of the gun frame, thus locking the entire mechanism, and preventing the gun from being fired.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the parts of the gun mechanism relating to this invention.

In said drawings Figs. l and 2 are horizontal and vertical longitudinal sections respectively.

Fig. 3 is a half horizontal cross section showing the operation of the trigger in detail.

Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sections showing the positions of the breech block and the trigger catch, respectively.

The function of the various parts is as follows: The operating crank a, which is given a continuous and uniform rotation, im-

fparts a reciprocating ,motion to .tl-1e,*breech` blQCk by means of a connecting 'rQdj 'aside- GERARD FoKKER, a subject rot the Queen of ,Y

scribed in y vmy @Grandine y@plier-ton for Iietters Patent of the Unitedl States'QSeri'al No. 407,539. Italso carries the cam faced grooves d which cause the lockin levers o and o to pvot and lock the breec block b when it has reached the forward position, inlthe manner described in my patent application hereinbefore referred to, Serial No. 407,540. One of the locking levers c is provided with a pin c which engages with an oblique groove in the trigger catch carrier g. When the locking levers are pivoted into the locking position as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the movement of the pin in the oblique slot causes the trigger catch carrier g to move backwards into contact with the trigger lever z', thus liring the gun. In this manner the trigger catch cannot come into contact with the trigger lever until the locking levers are in place and the breech Securely locked. The trigger catch is provided with an adjusting screw L which forms the point of contact with the trigger lever 'e'. By adjustingthe projection of this screw from the trigger catch a very fine adjustment of the exact moment of firing is obtained.

Further the trigger catch 1c is hingedly mounted on the trigger catch carrier g so that it may be swung out through a slot in the side wall of the frame of the gun, which limits its movement and prevents cont-act with the trigger lever z' and consequently makes it impossible for the gun to be fired.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and i'n what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is l. In a breech block mechanism for machine guns, operated by a rotating crank, and provided with ,pivoting levers which lock the breech block in position at the time of firing, a sliding trigger catch actuated byone ot' the locking levers in such a manner as to prevent contact with the trigger while the breech block is unlocked.

2. In a breech block mechanism for machine guns, operated by a rotating crank, and provided with pivoting levers which lock the breech block in position at the time of firing, a sliding trigger catch actuated by one of the locking levers in such a manner as to prevent contact with the trigger while the breech block is unlocked, said catch being provided with an adjusting screw which forms the point ofcontact with the trigger and the engagement of which with the trigger fires the gun. n I u 3. In a breech block mechanism for -machine guns, operated by a rotating crank,

V the breech block is unlocked, and a sliding carrier on which said trigger catch is hingedly mounted and said catch enabling it to be swung outwards through an aperture preventing its movement, thereby locking the entire mechanism and preventing the gun from being fired.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANTHONY HERMAN GERARD FOKKER. Witnesses: C. CJORTER,

H, Y. KMJPER. 

